


Drown Out The Sound

by radio_antlers



Category: Lumberjanes
Genre: Gen, kinda molly-centric, vague character study
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-26
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-18 10:49:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,875
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28990974
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radio_antlers/pseuds/radio_antlers
Summary: "This is for the lake that me and my friends swim in..."Things can't work properly underwater, Molly's noticed. Not that she was complaining; the constant tick-tock of the clock in her head she tried and failed to slow was quite annoying.
Relationships: very background mal/molly
Kudos: 4





	Drown Out The Sound

**Author's Note:**

> This shouldn't need to be said, but I'm going to say it anyway.
> 
> Please DO NOT just spontaneously jump off a cliff without being positively sure it's safe to do so. It's really dangerous and I would definitely not recommend it to anyone. Thank you.

There was something so _strange_ about this place, a certain _energy,_ if you will. It changed people, whether it was for better or worse. Changed them in ways that were so hard to explain that you really just _couldn’t_ without thinking about it for hours on end beforehand. How they were going to answer the question _“what happened over your summer”_ was far beyond them. Usually, the question could just be shrugged off with the simple claim of summer barely just beginning, but time was running out.

_Tick, tock._ No matter how desperately one tries to slow down time, there’s nothing one can do to really stop it.

This place had changed the Roanokes for the better. Thinking back to a time before they set foot on the camp grounds was like viewing a stranger’s life. Being a fly on the wall in your own mind.

April had become better at accepting change, coming to terms with the fact that her and her best friend would be separated for a bit. Jo could look at the world through a new set of eyes, ones that strayed from scientific logic and thought outside the box. Mal battled and overcame her worst fears a handful of times, gaining a brand-new sense of courage far from home. Molly became bolder, slowly chip, chip, chipping away at the shell she hid inside and refusing to be sculpted into someone else’s image. Ripley finally knew what it was like to be surrounded by people that understood her, _really understood her,_ people that she knew wouldn’t give her those side-eye glances if she just said something quirky out of the blue. And Jen, well…Jen became a _little_ more paranoid, but found a way to step outside her studious form and become like water, adapting to whatever curveball her girls decided to drag her into.

Molly had said it best. She was the only camper so far who had managed to accurately put into words the kind of effect that Miss Qiunzella’s had on a person.

_“There’s something about this place that makes me feel…brave!”_

Bravery was a funny concept, when you truly sit down and think it over. The talk could just pour from your lips like honey over pancakes, but when you actually had to walk the walk (depending on who you are as a person), it sometimes felt like your world was just _ending._ Mustering up enough bravery to stand up and present to the class was hard enough, so can you even imagine going to sleep away camp for three straight _months_ as a _kid?_ Or fighting _monsters,_ for that matter?

You kind of _had_ to be brave if you’re going to be encountering cryptids on the regular. Anything less than would have disastrous results.

Being spontaneous was another somewhat mind-boggling concept. It was a tricky one to master, but one that the Roanokes had been forced to learn. April and Ripley were already spontaneous people on their own, so they didn’t have any problems. Jo and Mal, people that relied on basic logic almost on the daily, took a little longer to overcome that hurdle, but were able to go with the flow once they did. Jen gave up on trying to prevent anything after a while, but Molly just _couldn’t_ for whatever reason. Bravery she could wield, but whenever she speculated doing something spontaneous, it felt like there was a rope wrapped around her wrist, tying her to the Molly that would _never_ do something like that. Handcuffed to a version of her she would do just about anything to escape from.

_Tick, tock._ Time was running out. There were only so many chances, only so many hours in a day to break the tether between herself and the wallflower with the sad eyes, hiding behind leatherbound books the size of her torso, vocal chords sitting in her throat, so out of practice.

It was time to _obliterate_ that shell.

XxXxX

The Roanokes wanted to do something fun that night. Take a walk through the woods underneath the moonlight, look at the stars, and see where the mischief of this place whisked them off to. Jen had come along this time, after the girls had insisted that it was a _“family outing.”_ She wanted one last adventure, too, believe it or not.

Jo, April, and Ripley ran around up at the front of the line, trailing after the lightning bugs that blitzed and buzzed around their faces. Jen was close behind them, a flashlight clutched in one hand and the strap of her backpack in the other. Mal and Molly took their places at the end of the line, as always, fingers intertwined and steps in synch. That’s the way it always was; the way that always felt _right._

“Let’s go over to the quarry!” April suggested, beckoning the counselor and couple to pick up the face. “The view is _so pretty_ from up there, you’d love it!”

The Roanokes had discovered the quarry almost as soon as they arrived at camp. They’d only ventured out there as a _group_ during the day, but anyone with a speck of sense would bet money on the chances that each and every one of them had hung around there at night on their own over the course of these three months.

It wasn’t a dangerous place to play. The cliffs weren’t too tall, and there was a lake just below it, so if someone were to fall, they wouldn’t hurt themselves too badly, just as long as they could swim. It was surrounded by towering pine trees and the grassy floor was littered with daisies and dandelions, creating a scene that looks like it was taken straight from an old painting or a Miyazaki film.

“Okay…” Jen agreed, a little uneasily, “but _please_ be careful?”

“We’re _always_ careful, Jen!” Ripley assured, flashing a toothy grin in her direction.

“I wish that were true, Ripley.”

April and Jo swapped excited glances, breaking into a run down the beaten dirt path, hand in hand. It didn’t take too long for the rest to follow.

_Tick, tock._ The sky was growing darker by the minute. It would just be the lightning bugs and moonlight guiding them soon.

The quarry view hadn’t been overexaggerated in the least. In fact, one could say April had _underexaggerated._ Trees began to thin out, creating what looked like a gateway to another world. The cliff was wide, enough for the girls to sprawl out across the grass if they so desired. April, Jo, and Ripley were standing near the edge, eyes sparkling as they took in all the stars shining above them.

“This is probably one of my favorite places,” Jo remarked, more to herself than anyone else. “Like, ever. I’m really gonna miss it.”

April nodded in agreement – not that Jo could see it, her eyes were still trained on the sky. “I feel like I’m in a Disney movie.”

“It’s _pretty,”_ Ripley observed in awe, eliciting a quiet laugh from her cabinmates.

Mal and Molly didn’t say anything. They stood beside their friends, caught in the same trance, incoherent thoughts mixing with coherent ones. Mal thought something like this would make perfect song-writing material, something poetic about how _breathtaking_ the moonlight could make someone look. Molly wished city lights could be this lovely; it’d be a nice change from the vibrant, blaring colors that made her eyes bleed.

“This would be a great place for _cliff diving,”_ April added, playfully nudging Jo in the ribs, who responded in turn, rolling her eyes and smiling like a goof.

“You two have been cliff diving?” Jen asked, raising a concerned eyebrow.

April shook her head. “No, but it’s on Jo’s bucket list!”

Jo snorted. “I still have no idea how you managed to find _that_ specific notebook! I have, like, a _million!”_

“You’re talking to the gal who’s read every _“Mermaid Lemonade Stand: Mysteries”_ novel on _several_ different occasions! It was only a matter of _time_ before I found it!”

Cliff diving? Molly had never tried it before. It sounded kinda fun, now that she thought about it…

_Tick, tock._ The moon was high in the sky, reflecting brilliantly onto the water below them. Is it safe to go swimming in the dark?

“I mean,” Jen began, peering over the edge of the quarry, sizing up the drop, “this _would_ be a safe place to do it, but Rosie would probably _kill me_ if I were to allow you to do it, not that I’m giving you the _go ahead…”_

How much trouble do you think Molly could get in if she just _jumped?_ She had no idea. Her friends would almost definitely freak, Jen would give her a strict talking-to, but Rosie _probably wouldn’t_ call her parents. It’s not like she was endangering herself or anyone else, Jen had just said that it seemed safe, and this _wasn’t_ like the river (no bloodthirsty monsters to watch out for), so…

_Tick, tock._ She felt the _“old her”_ tugging at her wrist, trying to pull her away from the cliffside, telling her she’d be a fool if she acted upon impulsivity. She decided she’d try her best to ignore it.

Silently, Molly began to slip off her sneakers, barely paying attention to what she was doing. Bubbles chirped inquisitively from her mess of blonde hair, hopping off of her head and skittering behind Mal’s legs, not wanting to be a part of whatever Molly was about to do.

“…if I _were_ to let you just _jump_ off of the edge, _I’d_ be held responsible if you got hurt, you know.”

“But what if we _don’t_ get hurt?”

“Are we going surprise swimming!?”

Looks like April and Ripley were putting in the extra effort to convince Jen that they would be safe if she were to okay it. Molly would have done the same, she had the epitome of respect for Jen, but if she threw her hat in the ring, she felt like it would destroy the purpose of her sudden impulsivity.

Spontaneousness. That’s what she _should_ be calling it. _Spontaneousness._

_Tick, tock._ Her fingers fell out of Mal’s grasp, breaking her gaze from the sky and stepping forward.

“Molly?” Mal asked, unsure of what she was up to and if she should follow. “What are you doing?”

She didn’t reply, just continued to head in the direction of the cliff. Every sound around her seemed to dull, becoming static in her ears. Mal’s confused call, Bubbles’ chitters, and the other girls’ conversation with Jen felt like it was a million miles away. The only sound she could process was her feet thudding against the ground and her own heart pounding in her chest. 

_Tick, tock._ The drop-off was closer now.

Molly wasn’t afraid; it’s not like jumping off the edge was some kind of _death-dive._ It was only about a ten-eleven foot drop, and the lake below was pretty deep. The chances of her getting hurt were slim. The other Roanokes were all looking at her, she felt four pairs of eyes glued to her running figure. They were calling her name, asking her what she was doing and telling her to slow down before she ran out of ground to run on.

_Tick, tock. Tick, tock._ The ground was disappearing faster and faster underneath her, running out. She was running out of time, running out of time.

_Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick-_

She took a breath and kicked off the edge of the cliff.

She was flying, only for a moment, and then she was falling, descending, screeching wind filling her ears and a smile on her face that couldn’t be wiped away.   
  


_Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, ti-_

_Splash!_ Molly hit the water. And the clock stopped.

Her head popped back up almost as soon as it disappeared underneath the water, fueled by the frightened and slightly amused yells of her friends and girlfriend. Molly gasped for air, wiping the water out of her eyes, marveling at how _clear_ everything sounded – she hadn’t noticed how cloudy it must have been before.

And then she was giggling, laughing, like she’d just heard the funniest thing in the world. “Holy Dolly Parton!” She crowed, nearly snorting. “I can’t _believe_ I just did that! Oh, jeez…”

_“I can’t either!”_ Mal yelled back, sounding terrified.

_“Are you okay, Molly?”_ Jen cried.

Molly rapidly nodded, even though she knew they couldn’t see it. “Never better! Do you guys wanna come down here!?”

Before anyone had a chance to respond or tell her to get back over there, Ripley had mimicked Molly’s actions and jumped off the edge, too. A raw cheer flew out of her mouth as soon as she came back up for air, and she made quick work of swimming over to the older girl, giggling and encouraging the others to join.

“You wanna cross this off the list?” April looked up at Jo, a hopeful smile gracing her lips.

Jo shucked off her hoodie, grabbing the redhead’s hand. “Of _course.”_ And just like Molly and Ripley, they jumped without hesitation.

Jen turned around, gathering her scouts’ shoes and jackets and walking over to Mal. “I’m just gonna go out on a limb here and say that you _don’t_ wanna jump, right?”

Mal nodded. Sure, she’d dove into Lake Specter without even thinking about it (and nearly dove off the cliffside after Molly), but now that she knew that her partner was okay, Mal would rather _not_ plummet ten feet into a dark pool of death.

“Didn’t think so,” Jen chuckled. “There’s a path that leads down there. Grab Molly’s shoes, will you?”

XxXxX

Molly didn’t know exactly what she started, but she was enjoying it.

April and Ripley had started an all-out war in the deeper side of the lake, splashing each other just for the heck of it while trying not to go under themselves. Jo was floating on her back, presumably planning out how she was going to cross off whatever else was on her bucket list. And Molly hanging out in the shallow end near the gravel, where Mal was sitting, just close enough to the water where if her and Molly outstretched their arms, their hands could touch. Jen was over by the grass, shining her flashlight in the general direction of the lake, Bubbles napping by her feet.

“I hope you know that you scared the _junk_ out of me,” Mal mumbled, giving Molly one of those looks that, frankly, is really hard to describe, but communicates _“I’m-fine-now-but-if-you-ever-do-that-again-I-might-lose-my-marbles.”_

Molly giggled. “I know.” She was doing that weird thing where her limbs were a mere inch away from touching the lake flooring. If it hadn’t been for the fact that you could _clearly see_ her legs in the water, one might’ve mistaken her for a mermaid.

“That was really out of character for you,” the punk remarked. “I’m a little surprised.”

“That was kinda the _point?”_ She said with a cheeky smile. “I dunno, I guess I just wanted to do _something_ before camp was over. Prove that _I_ could be a little spontaneous.”

Mal blinked, beginning to chuckle. “Mol. Do I seriously have to remind you that _you_ were the one who wanted to follow the Bear Woman in the middle of our date? And got us sucked into a whole other _dimension?”_

Molly playfully rolled her eyes. “Yeah, but that was because I was _prompted_ to follow her. I decided to do…whatever it was that I just did, all on my own!”

“You seem proud of that.”

“I am. I am _very_ proud of that.”

Mal grinned, running a hand through her hair and using the other to lightly splash Molly. “I’m pretty sure Jen is rethinking who her favorite camper is.”

“Oh, please,” Molly retorted, splashing Mal right back, “we _all_ know who her favorite is.”

_“Ripley.”_

They both burst into peals of laughter after that. Jen loved them all, so her having a _“favorite Roanoke”_ was just a big joke. If you were to ask, she’d probably say that it was Bubbles, because he knows how to stay out of trouble. Again, a joke.

Molly stood up from the water, squeezing the excess from her clothes and hair, which was already starting to frizz. She was gonna have to take a shower ASAP, hopefully once they got back to camp if time allowed. She sat beside Mal, resting her head on her shoulder and softly smiling when she felt Mal intertwine their fingers. It was so dark that she could barely see five feet in front of her, aside from the lake, which was lit up like a Christmas tree, thanks to the stars.

She couldn’t feel the tether on her wrist anymore, neither could she feel the sandy bits of her old shell clinging to her skin. She felt free, for once in her life. Molly had figured that whatever she’d been feeling for most of the summer was what freedom felt like, when looking back on it now, it was only about half of that.

She felt satisfied with how amazing this night had gone. One might say it had went _swimmingly._

**Author's Note:**

> I deeply apologize for the terrible pun :')


End file.
